{
  "$schema": "https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/schemas/article-v1.json",
  "schemaVersion": "1.0.0",
  "id": "partially-signed-bitcoin-transactions",
  "canonical": "https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/partially-signed-bitcoin-transactions/",
  "collection": "bitcoin",
  "title": "PSBT: passing a Bitcoin transaction between signers",
  "description": "Learn what a PSBT contains, which roles update or sign it, and why possessing the file is not the same as possessing the coins.",
  "aliases": [
    "PSBT",
    "partially signed transaction"
  ],
  "dates": {
    "published": "2026-10-02",
    "modified": "2026-10-02",
    "verified": "2026-10-02T18:15:23.891Z",
    "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02"
  },
  "authorship": {
    "publisher": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project",
    "process": "AI-assisted research and drafting with a separate automated source-verification pass; no external expert or named human review is implied."
  },
  "quickAnswer": {
    "text": "A PSBT is a structured container for a Bitcoin transaction and the extra information needed to inspect, sign and finalize it. It lets wallets, hardware signers and participants exchange a proposal without requiring one device to perform every step. A PSBT is not necessarily signed, broadcast or confirmed.",
    "claimId": "partially-signed-bitcoin-transactions-quick-answer",
    "sourceIds": [
      "bip174",
      "core-walletcreatefundedpsbt"
    ]
  },
  "keyFacts": [
    {
      "label": "Roles",
      "value": "BIP-174 separates creator, updater, signer, combiner, finalizer and extractor roles.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "bip174"
      ],
      "id": "roles",
      "claimId": "partially-signed-bitcoin-transactions-fact-roles"
    },
    {
      "label": "Information",
      "value": "The container can include previous-output and key-derivation information needed for signing.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "bip174"
      ],
      "id": "information",
      "claimId": "partially-signed-bitcoin-transactions-fact-information"
    },
    {
      "label": "Completion",
      "value": "An extracted transaction is distinct from the container exchanged during signing.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "bip174"
      ],
      "id": "completion",
      "claimId": "partially-signed-bitcoin-transactions-fact-completion"
    }
  ],
  "prerequisites": [
    "bitcoin-multisig"
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "workflow",
      "heading": "Separate construction from authorization",
      "sourceIds": [
        "bip174",
        "core-walletcreatefundedpsbt"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "A network-connected wallet can choose inputs and construct recipient and change outputs. A separate device can inspect that proposal and add a signature without taking responsibility for discovering the entire transaction history itself.",
        "The Bitcoin Core funding RPC creates a PSBT with funding information. A creator or updater role does not imply that the file contains the signatures needed to spend."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "review",
      "heading": "The proposal still needs checking",
      "sourceIds": [
        "bip174"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "A signer should establish which inputs it is authorizing, the destination amounts and the fee. Input values and scripts matter because an incomplete or misleading display can obscure what the signer is doing. The format transports information; it does not make that information automatically trustworthy.",
        "A transaction proposal shared with another participant may reveal balances, addresses or derivation details. Treat the file as potentially sensitive even if it contains no private keys."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "finish",
      "heading": "From partial data to a network transaction",
      "sourceIds": [
        "bip174"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "A combiner can merge compatible signing information, a finalizer can assemble the final spending fields, and an extractor can produce the network transaction when it is complete. Some wallets combine these roles in one interface.",
        "After extraction, broadcast and confirmation are separate steps. An offline signing screen cannot prove that a miner has included the result."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Can a PSBT contain no signatures at all?",
      "answer": "Yes. The format supports transaction construction and updating before any signer has authorized the spend. “Partially signed” is the format’s name, not a promise that a signature is present.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "bip174"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": "partially-signed-bitcoin-transactions-quick-answer",
      "articleSlug": "partially-signed-bitcoin-transactions",
      "statement": "A PSBT is a structured container for a Bitcoin transaction and the extra information needed to inspect, sign and finalize it. It lets wallets, hardware signers and participants exchange a proposal without requiring one device to perform every step. A PSBT is not necessarily signed, broadcast or confirmed.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-5790dff0294c8035",
        "source-a8abe4366f2656ba"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-5790dff0294c8035",
          "locator": "Roles; Creator; Updater; Signer; Finalizer"
        },
        {
          "sourceId": "source-a8abe4366f2656ba",
          "locator": "Arguments and result fields"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "bitcoin",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:15:23.891Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification agent verify_bitcoin_stablecoins_100",
        "notes": [
          "Read BIP-174 Creator, Updater, Signer, Combiner, Input Finalizer and Transaction Extractor, including UTXO and sighash checks. Unsigned PSBTs are valid workflow objects.",
          "Checked offline signing rationale and separation of extraction, broadcast and confirmation. The format is not represented as a guarantee that transported information is trustworthy."
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "partially-signed-bitcoin-transactions-fact-roles",
      "articleSlug": "partially-signed-bitcoin-transactions",
      "statement": "Roles: BIP-174 separates creator, updater, signer, combiner, finalizer and extractor roles.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-5790dff0294c8035"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-5790dff0294c8035",
          "locator": "Roles; Creator; Updater; Signer; Finalizer"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "bitcoin",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:15:23.891Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification agent verify_bitcoin_stablecoins_100",
        "notes": [
          "Read BIP-174 Creator, Updater, Signer, Combiner, Input Finalizer and Transaction Extractor, including UTXO and sighash checks. Unsigned PSBTs are valid workflow objects.",
          "Checked offline signing rationale and separation of extraction, broadcast and confirmation. The format is not represented as a guarantee that transported information is trustworthy."
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "partially-signed-bitcoin-transactions-fact-information",
      "articleSlug": "partially-signed-bitcoin-transactions",
      "statement": "Information: The container can include previous-output and key-derivation information needed for signing.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-5790dff0294c8035"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-5790dff0294c8035",
          "locator": "Roles; Creator; Updater; Signer; Finalizer"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "bitcoin",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:15:23.891Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification agent verify_bitcoin_stablecoins_100",
        "notes": [
          "Read BIP-174 Creator, Updater, Signer, Combiner, Input Finalizer and Transaction Extractor, including UTXO and sighash checks. Unsigned PSBTs are valid workflow objects.",
          "Checked offline signing rationale and separation of extraction, broadcast and confirmation. The format is not represented as a guarantee that transported information is trustworthy."
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "partially-signed-bitcoin-transactions-fact-completion",
      "articleSlug": "partially-signed-bitcoin-transactions",
      "statement": "Completion: An extracted transaction is distinct from the container exchanged during signing.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-5790dff0294c8035"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-5790dff0294c8035",
          "locator": "Roles; Creator; Updater; Signer; Finalizer"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "bitcoin",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:15:23.891Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification agent verify_bitcoin_stablecoins_100",
        "notes": [
          "Read BIP-174 Creator, Updater, Signer, Combiner, Input Finalizer and Transaction Extractor, including UTXO and sighash checks. Unsigned PSBTs are valid workflow objects.",
          "Checked offline signing rationale and separation of extraction, broadcast and confirmation. The format is not represented as a guarantee that transported information is trustworthy."
        ]
      }
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "bip174",
      "label": "Partially Signed Bitcoin Transaction Format",
      "publisher": "Bitcoin BIPs contributors",
      "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bitcoin/bips/927b6de9915c9262615a6399de51b200f81e5aa4/bip-0174.mediawiki",
      "locator": "Roles; Creator; Updater; Signer; Finalizer",
      "note": "Exchange of transaction and signing data across participants.",
      "version": "BIP-174; immutable revision pinned in source URL",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T17:22:20.522Z",
      "contentSha256": "f2a8e1a9c9e31cc7f607b3c7e2419c63eeccc4bd5b725968cde54ab8cfa1d410",
      "recordId": "source-5790dff0294c8035"
    },
    {
      "id": "core-walletcreatefundedpsbt",
      "label": "walletcreatefundedpsbt RPC",
      "publisher": "Bitcoin Core",
      "url": "https://bitcoincore.org/en/doc/29.0.0/rpc/wallet/walletcreatefundedpsbt/",
      "locator": "Arguments and result fields",
      "note": "Input selection, fee units, change output, selected inputs and transaction funding.",
      "version": "Bitcoin Core 29.0.0 RPC",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T17:03:40.827Z",
      "contentSha256": "d30514044f4ab73bb52b4f8d9bb2d5b8a64482c26fd1b63be11defcb0f2ac6d6",
      "recordId": "source-a8abe4366f2656ba"
    }
  ],
  "related": {
    "articles": [
      "bitcoin-output-descriptors",
      "bitcoin-multisig",
      "bitcoin-confirmations"
    ],
    "dossiers": [],
    "wallets": []
  },
  "revisionHistory": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-02",
      "kind": "published",
      "summary": "Initial Bitcoin encyclopedia entry at this permanent URL."
    },
    {
      "date": "2026-10-02",
      "kind": "publishing-format",
      "summary": "Added reusable claims, explicit source locators, and matching Markdown and JSON. This publishing change does not itself establish factual verification."
    }
  ],
  "citation": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. “PSBT: passing a Bitcoin transaction between signers.” Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/partially-signed-bitcoin-transactions/"
}